Jonwayne Unveils ‘Rap Album One’ With Truly Ambitious ‘Reflection’

Hear Stones Throw MC-producer stretch out on first taste of October album

Stones Throw Records has always had an ear for worthwhile new voices in rap and Jonwayne is no exception to the rule. The Los Angeles-area MC/producer has been teasing his true arrival with a series of actual mixtapes — see Cassette, Cassette 2, and Cassette 3 with its lost J Dilla beat — and the notable beat collection Oodles of Doodles, all of which seemed impressive enough to place within the young man’s proper oeuvre. But the label now reveals that this has all been warmup: enter Rap Album One, the official Jonwayne debut now set for an October 29 release date.

With the exception from a pair of production assists and one vocal from Scoop DeVille (Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Game), everything within the 11-song set comes from the mind of the fella actually born Jon Wayne. (As we recently learned, he’s a descendant of the dude from whom a certain acting cowboy stole his stage name.) The cover is, yes, a cracker and the track list is beneath that. We know little else, but first leak “Reflection” speaks volumes. Woozy jazz-hop backs our host’s stony singing before he launches into a grade-A verse that’s over far too soon.

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